A Nation Falling Away

I’ve been holding back for some time on my personal rant about life and death as being developed throughout the world by atheists and God-haters alike. Sadly, the world turns to our society to witness what becomes acceptable in the righteous-living land of America and being supported by the Supreme Court of the United States. It is so sad that what we are showing the world is we are becoming a Godless nation and the only “Golden Rule” acceptable any longer is, “Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto You!” Life is becoming like that of disposable income – too much of it is too taxing and must be disposed of - generally in an inconsequential, self-gratifying, flippant manor. So, sad!

“Diary of an Unborn Child” author unknown. October 5^th – Today my life began. My parents don’t know it yet. I’m as small as a seed of an apple, but it is I already. And I am to be a girl. I shall have blond hair and azure eyes. Just about everything is settled, even the fact that I shall love flowers.  October 19^th – Some say that I am not a real person yet, that only my mother exists. But I am a real person, just as a small crumb of bread is still bread. My mother is; and I am. November 2^nd – I am growing a bit every day. My arms and legs are beginning to take shape. But I have to wait a long time before those little legs will raise me to my mother’s arms, before these little arms will be able to gather flowers and embrace my father. November 12^th – Tiny fingers are beginning to form on my hands. Funny how small they are! I shall be able to stroke my mother’s hair with them. And I shall take her hair to my mouth and she will probably say, “Oh; no, no, dear...” November 20^th – It wasn’t until today that the doctor told Mom that I am here living under her heart. Oh, how happy she must be! Are you happy, Mom? November 25^th – My mom and dad are probably thinking of a name for me. But they don’t even know that I am a girl. They are probably saying Andy. But I want to be called Cathy. I am getting so big already! December 24^th – I wonder if mom hears the whispering of my heart? Some children come into the world a little sick. And then the delicate hands of the doctor perform miracles to bring them to health. But my heart is strong and healthy. It beats so evenly – tup-tup-tup... You have a healthy little daughter, Mom! December 28^th – Today my mother killed me. Every aborted child is sinless, and with Jesus this day.

 [Psalm 106:34-38] This country is the greatest the world has ever witnessed and has been looked up to as a beacon of light and hope for nearly 250 years. That’s why peoples’ of the world want to come here to live. But, this country is being flooded by those who refuse to assimilate into a righteous God-fearing society - with unwarranted protests against symbols of our believed Deity of authority and protection over our blessed nation; against our symbols of history and heritage that remind us of what it takes to protect our blessed nation; and against the laws and form of government that established our blessed nation; because they find it offensive to their culture. Because these immigrants didn’t check their “culture” at the door, (I didn’t say their religion), they feel they have the right to intimidate every “citizen” into submission of Sharia surrender. That’s exactly what our elected representatives, corporate giants, Bible-less liberals and even some “preachers of the gospel” are doing – caving in to their demands. The United States is in the midst of a civil war and very few people are on the front line defending our country. The consequences of liberal sin-ism is very clear in the Book of Truth (Romans 1:18 – 2:16). I fear a lot of god-fearing folks are going to get caught up in another genocide. PRAY!

Liberal Intolerance

In 1777 our Continental Congress voted an expenditure of $300,000.00 (an enormous amount of money back then) to buy and distribute Bibles throughout the country. By contrast, more than a decade ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the Gideons (international organization spreading the Gospel of Christ through the distribution of free Bibles) could no longer give away (free) Bibles on public school properties throughout the United States. And in a ruling soon to follow, all public school systems were to eliminate the Bible from their library catalog and remove the book from the shelf. I have one of those Bible’s in my library, retrieved from the local high school dumpster by our daughter, as she and several other students rescued God’s Word from the trash after being thrown out of school. I treasure that Bible, and nearly weep over its total disregard and its God-fate rescue from a landfill burial, every time I use it. The Bible has been removed, along with any visible presentation of the Ten Commandments, from student access for fear, “...if they read them, meditated on them, and perhaps venerated them and observed them, this is not a permissible objective” ruled the Supreme Court. Look where we are today!

[Psalm 119:1] “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.” Some folks have been known to lament that there is little enjoyment in a life lived under the restrictions of biblical morality and teaching. The most enjoyable life, we’re told, is in a life without moral restraint. It is true that sin and immorality can be pleasurable (Hebrews 11:24-26), and it is true that the Bible contains prohibitions against sin and immorality. But it is not true that pleasure is ONLY found in sin. There is so much more to enjoying life than whatever fleeting fun we may find in doing things that ought to bring us shame (Romans 6:19-23). Genuine, lasting, deep joy is only found in following the instructions of our God, who both knows and wants what is best for us. The liberal thinkers are becoming more and more vocal in their condemnation of Christians as being an “intolerant” people. They just cannot seem to tolerate what they view as our intolerance. Do you find that somewhat ironic? We (Christians) should be tolerant, they tell us, of those who chose to commit to others in a homosexual lifestyle and “same-sex marriage,” as opposed to marriage ordained by God in the Bible. We should be more tolerant of Islam by viewing it only as “a religion of peace,” regardless of what the Koran teaches and what the practical evidence clearly shows. We should be tolerant of those who choose death, rather than life, for defenseless infants in their mother’s womb. We should be tolerant of sexual promiscuity rather than advocating the “narrow” view that only husband and wife should become “one flesh.” Am I reading things all wrong? Or, is it the case that the “tolerant” are becoming increasingly intolerant of: ...our unapologetic conviction that truth is absolute (John 8:31-32) ...our unapologetic conviction that truth is attainable (2 Timothy 2:22-26) ...or, our unapologetic conviction that truth is revealed through the infallible, inerrant words of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) ...or, is it our unapologetic conviction that truth is non-negotiable, even when some find the truth offensive (Galatians 4:16) ...or, our conviction that Jesus is the only way to God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Truth, by its very nature, is intolerant of that which is false (1 John 2:21). If the choice is between being tolerant of falsehoods and being true to the Word of God, then may I (we) have the courage to stand firm and bear the reproach of those who choose not to tolerate me (us) in my (our) lifestyle of truth and righteousness.

Freedom

I’ve got to tell you, I’m really getting to the point where I am forcing myself to double check everything I read and hear. Looking for some additional interesting material about the Declaration of Independence I simply typed in the browser search box “...years since declaration of independence signed” and the first on the list of articles prominently displays “239 years...” Really? Unless I’m in some sort of time warp – 2019 minus 1776 equals 243 years. The article was written by a George Winston (warhistoryonline.com) in 2015 and listed in Google as the number one reference article. Seriously? Nobody has written any kind of article in four years? Maybe the ignorance of the country has actually caught up with us. Even the first statement in Mr. Winston’s writing says: “The US Declaration of Independence was the document that saw the United States break away from rule of the British Government and monarchy. This year (2015) it is 239 years since the declaration was signed and brought in to govern the United States.” The Declaration of Independence is simply a certificate of divorce from King George III signed by 56 courageous representatives for the people of the Thirteen Colonies declaring themselves to be an independent state among the states of the world. It was never drafted to govern a country. The Continental Congress went on to form our government and eventually write the US Constitution which governs the country to this day. But, for the lack of intelligent courageous persons to stand up and write a certificate of divorce from Satan, who is gaining the upper hand in our society every day, I fear this country is once again going to fall under the control of evil tyranny and become a worldly disgrace. God help US!

[1 Peter 2:13-17] We have heard the cry for freedom for many generations. The children of Israel cried out for deliverance from the Egyptians, and all through history men have fought to be free. Many have given their life to be free from the enslavement of other men. Our own nation has heard the rallying cry for freedom. We have fought war after war in which hundreds of thousands of young Americans have lost their life in order to preserve freedom. But all too often, while man was fighting for freedom from bondage inflicted by his fellow man, he was becoming enslaved to Satan. What is enslavement to Satan? Those who give into the “lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) are under the power of Satan – enslaved to sin. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want” (Galatians 5:13-17). We enjoy true freedom only in Christ when we obey the gospel plan of salvation: hear(Romans 10:17); believe (Hebrews 11:6); repent (Acts 17:30); confess (Romans 10:8-10) and are baptized (Acts 2:38). When we obey from the heart God forgives us our sins, and the blood of Christ continues to cleanse us as long as we abide in Him (1 John 1:7). Freedom from the oppression of man is indeed a wonderful blessing, but freedom of the soul from Satan’s power is the most important freedom we will ever experience. Real freedom is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. “...Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

What if...?

Ever had one of those “What if I’d...” moments? We can fantasize on those “what if’s” if we want to, but the time wasted on those fantasies could have been used more wisely so we won’t need to “what if” about that wasted fantasy time later. I would imagine all of us have had the “what if’s.” Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc. One of the things that cause many in the world today to fear is the “What if…” What if our worst fear were to come true? What if I lose everything? What if my friends leave me? What if my parents divorce? What if I lose the game? What if…. What if…. What if…!! I read a saying the other day: F.E.A.R. has two meanings: “Forget Everything And Run”, or “Face Everything And Rise”. The choice is ours. We face many storms throughout our lives. These storms can cause a multitude of emotions in our lives. Loss of control, fear, beat down, desperation, and hopelessness are a few of those emotions. When we are faced with these different and sometimes difficult storms in our lives, fear becomes an option. We can be afraid and we can react to our fear by forgetting everything and running. But in order to combat fear we need to realize that God will be there with us through all our fears. We must have courage to trust in the Lord.

[Romans 15:4] “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Paul, in Acts 27, is a prisoner being transported to Rome by ship. He warns the centurion about not sailing. But Paul’s advice not to sail is ignored (v.10-11). Soon after putting out to sea, the ship encounters a major storm. The crew of the ship lost control, became fearful, beaten down by the storm, desperate, and finally hopeless (v. 15-20). But Paul has the courage and faith to stand before the crew and tell the crew what an angel from God has told him (v. 24-25) “and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God as graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” God will use storms in our lives to strengthen us. We must continue to put our faith in Him. We must focus our attention on our faith and not our fears. Joshua had been chosen and appointed by God, just before Moses’ death, to be Israel’s leader. In God’s pep-talk to Joshua (Joshua 1:7-9) God finished by saying, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where ever you go.” The world is not being very kind to any of us of late. “The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature” (Luke 8:1-15). Challenges lay ahead, temptations are on both sides of the road, and Satan is waiting for us to step off the path we are walking with Jesus. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6). What’s the old saying, “hindsight is 20/20?” Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of being able to go back and change the past. We can, however, let the past change the way we do things in the future. And that’s Scriptural! Surely, one “what if” we don’t ever want to ponder while in torment (Luke 16:19-31) is, “What if I’d just obeyed the gospel?” The Good News is Jesus Christ. The Good News is - we can win this battle over sin, fear and worry!

Father's Day

The responsibility of rearing children in our society today is awesome. Yet, it is the most rewarding experience that anyone will go through. It is an experience that will last a lifetime. There will be some sadness, but the many, many hours of joy and happiness will, to a degree, overshadow the sad times. God has given us the Bible, which is the perfect manual for rearing children. Yet, multitudes of fathers have chosen to ignore these perfect instructions. Through the years I have seen so many faithful, godly mothers, bring more children to worship than she can handle. Why? Because she loved God and wanted her children to learn how to love and serve God also. Another reason they do it is because the children’s father will not assume the responsibility that God has placed on all fathers. There are many excuses used by fathers to justify their action. The number one excuse is, “I just don’t have enough time.” I certainly understand how rushed we all are in our modern day society, but I also know that God commands us to be good stewards of our time. There is a horrible reality that fathers seriously need to think about. Most boys grow up following in the footsteps of their father. Therefore, there is no way to imagine how horrible it will be to see our sons condemned to hell on judgment day, knowing that it was his neglectful father’s fault. Fathers, it will not matter one bit at the end of time if we were wealthy or not in this life. But it will matter how we lived this life!

Isaiah 38:19] “The living, the living – they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell your children about your faithfulness.” Our Father in heaven has a few things to say about our fathers on earth. God said this of Abraham as he declared Abraham will become the father of nations: “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him” (Genesis 18:19). “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3”11-12). “...The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). After King Solomon had sought pleasure and happiness in every possible way, he came near to the end of his life. Knowing that his sons had not been trained in the way of the Lord, he wrote: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). To Solomon it didn’t matter now, that he was the richest man in the world. He knew that he had not fulfilled his duty to God and his family. Fathers, the most precious thing you have in this world, or ever will have, is your family. I beg of you to assume your God given responsibility and lead your family in putting God and His kingdom first in your life, and your family will follow your lead. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then chose for yourselves this day whom you will serve ...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24: 15). Happy Father’s Day, y’all.